


Time After Time

by Ellienerd14, feathertail



Series: Co-writing [1]
Category: Class (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Fix-It, Fluff, M/M, Post S01E08 The Lost, S01E08 The Lost Spoilers, Talking, episode fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8775880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellienerd14/pseuds/Ellienerd14, https://archiveofourown.org/users/feathertail/pseuds/feathertail
Summary: Post Series 1 Episode 8: The Lost (Big finale)Spoilers for the episode!After the events of the episode, Matteusz and Charlie talk, and of course, kiss and make up.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Co-written with the amazing Ellienerd14 <3

From the second that he’d had that foul, burning scimitar pressed against his Adam’s apple, the harsh breath of Corakinus rushing down his neck, the coarse “Congratulations. You are the next to die,” Matteusz' eyes had been fixed on Charlie. An unwavering gaze, but filled with such emotions. Fear, mostly, fear not of dying, but of what Charlie would do. He had a gun, that fact they would discuss later, once they got out of this mess (if they ever got out of it), and he knew the consequences of killing Corakinus with it. April would die too, and Matteusz would not be able to live with that, that a friend had died so that he could live. He breathed his lover’s name, shaking his head as Charlie’s aim with the gun didn’t drop an inch. He saw the fury in his eyes, the disgust in the curl of his lips, and he shook his head. Please, Charlie, no.

His attention was drawn by April, stepping between Charlie and the gun, and Matteusz and Corakinus.  
“April, move,” he murmured, knowing her intention, unable to move to stop her with his back and legs bent under Corakinus’ powerful grip. He watched as it slowly dawned on Charlie what April meant, watched his beautiful eyes fill with tears. As she turned towards him, Matteusz shook his head again.  
“April. April, no. Not for my sake,” he said, voice trembling, eyes flicking between her and Charlie, who still hadn’t wavered in his aim, whether it was one-handed or two-. His forehead creased again as Charlie threatened the use of the Cabinet; that they had talked about. His thought process was interrupted as he was discarded like a rag doll and April was tugged into Corakinus’ grip in his place. He skidded on the assembly hall floor; Charlie’s eyes flicked to him desperately to ensure his safety, then turned back to the situation at hand. Matteusz watched him unwaveringly.

His brow creased and he sat up as April’s voice rose in pitch, and Charlie was refusing something, but wh- Matteusz realized a split second before he saw Charlie’s finger close on the trigger, and his hand, outstretched, reached for him, mouth open in a loud but unheard howl of denial, trying to prevent Charlie, the one he loved, from becoming a murderer. The gun flashed, illuminating everything in the hall for a second, and Matteusz stopped his reaching, fingers curling in despair as he stared at Charlie. This was the Charlie he feared. Yes, he still loved him, but dear God did he fear him.

He scrambled to his feet, words of sense falling from his lips in response to whatever the headmistress said. It didn’t matter. He glanced at Charlie, though whether his lover noticed the despair and fear in his eyes he did not know. He didn’t know this Charlie. Didn’t know if he wanted to know this Charlie, though he knew in his heart that he loved him more than life itself. A single tear spilled from his eye and rolled down his cheek as Charlie spoke, though why it fell he could not explain the reason, there were too many. He felt so numb.

A green and red glow caught his attention from the corner of his eye, and he turned to see the orb rising from the Cabinet of Souls. The only thing that could possibly make this day any worse. He stepped forward, slowly, moving towards Charlie.  
“No. No, no, no, no, no! You will die, too.” He wanted to reach out, hold him close, but Charlie’s next words stunned him, and he froze up for a minute, a minute too long. He watched as if from a distance as Charlie threw the gun to Quill, voice trembling as he voiced his plea again.  
“Oh, Charlie, Charlie, please! Please.”

Charlie’s reply broke his heart. “I love you. And I've lost you. Goodbye.” Suddenly he was gone, racing for the Cabinet, and Matteusz was hot on his heels.  
“You don't have to do this,” he begged, halting at Charlie’s side where he reached for the orb. “Please, Charlie, you can make them stop!”  
“I wasn't even hero enough to save one soul,” Charlie countered, turning his attention to the orb, raising it his hands. “This weapon. Never to be used. This weapon of such destruction, it is never to be used! This weapon to end all weapons.”  
Matteusz could see the tears streaming down Charlie’s face, was sure his cheeks were just as wet. “Don't declare your intent,” he implored.  
“I declare the enemy that endangers all of Rhodia.”  
Matteusz shook his head, beseeching anything in Charlie that would listen to him. “No,” he said, voice breaking as he looked from Charlie to orb in a relentless loop as the Rhodian prince, now King of the Shadow Kin, set it back on its pedestal and it glowed a dark, blood red, emitting a low, threatening chime.

He staggered backwards as golden light burst from the Cabinet, disintegrating the attacking Shadow Kin and flowing out into the outside. Charlie uttered a strained noise as he grasped the orb so tightly, and Matteusz shouted over the racket.  
“Charlie! Enough! You’ve stopped them!” he yelled, but Charlie denied it, letting out a furious, desperate cry as the rest of the lights flew into a crack in the middle of the air. Matteusz knew where they were going. Seconds later there was a huge tremor and explosion, and he was knocked flying, skidding on the floor for the second time that night. He was catching his breath, propped up on his elbows, when he saw that one sliver of gold still remained, dancing before Charlie’s face. He watched as Charlie stepped back, tiny step after tiny step, his face torn open and all his emotions laid bare.  
“No,” Matteusz whispered softly, frozen in place by fear. Yes, he feared Charlie, but he feared not having him, living without him. He watched, immobile once more, as the golden glow made for Charlie, only to have that target pushed out of the way by Quill, and made for Ram and April’s body.

The rest of the fiasco he pushed out of his mind, and just sat with his back against a pillar, watching Charlie. Would he still be the same? Would he still love Matteusz? These, and more, swelled and overtook his mind as he pulled his knees to his chest and focused on his babcia to prevent an attack of panic, the rushing noise in his ears pulsing over everything until he couldn’t take it any more, standing shakily and running out of the hall, not caring who followed or who didn’t, finding the nearest bathroom and retching into the bowl of the toilet in the first cubicle. Boy, did he have a lot to come to terms with.

* * *

Charlie couldn't help blaming himself as Matteusz ran away. Maybe it would be better for them all if everyone left him. If Charlie had the choice, he would be running too. 

But Charlie had never gotten to make the choices he wanted. On Rhodia he made the choices that a good prince would make. And now... The prince shook his head. Now was broken like pieces of shattered glass. Charlie was afraid if he tried to pick up the pieces he'd only end up bleeding out. 

Charlie had saved his new planet. Saved thousands of human lives. But at what cost? He had killed April, his beautiful and brilliant friend. Broken Ram's heart in the process. Ram had lost his father too, the one person who understood anything. Tanya was an orphan now. She'd lost her mother. Seen her die at the hand of the Shadow Kin just as Charlie had with his own. 

What was even worse is he'd used the Cabinet of Souls. A weapon never to be used. A children's story that through tragedy and desperation had been morphed into a weapon. He'd let down the people of Rhodia, destroyed their souls and their culture. 

And now - and he resented himself for thinking so selfishly - Charlie was more alone than ever. Ram blamed him for what happened to April. Tanya had lost her mother because she happened to have been friends with Charlie once. And it was obvious he'd lost the only person to ever love him. 

When the Prince was young, the story of sharing your soul with someone was his favourite. But there was a downside. You could feel when someone loved you, physically feel it as an ache when you were apart, like the world was trying to pull you closer to them and calmness when you were with them. 

Until Matteusz Charlie had never felt it before. Never felt love. Until his boyfriend had come along Charlie had never felt the highs or lows of love. But even now he felt like something was pulling towards the door.  

April called his name as he left but Charlie couldn't bring himself to look at her. The girl he had killed trapped in the body of a monster. All Charlie's fault. Again. 

Matteusz was half curled on one of the chairs outside the hall, looking too pale. Charlie agreed with Tanya, it felt like a lifetime ago that he had sat there at prom with Matteusz resting against him. It was then, in a moment when he knew Charlie was more than just a strange person but an alien but leaned against him unafraid anyway, that Charlie had really started to fall in love with him. Wanted Matteusz to fall in love with him back. 

It seemed unfair that it would also be the place where he was going to lose him. 

"I was hoping you would not leave without me." The last time Matteusz had spoken it had been begging him not to use the Cabinet of Souls.   
Charlie looked at him with tear filled eyes. "How could I leave you?"   
Matteusz swallowed, wincing slightly at the drag of his too-dry, acid-burned throat. He’d thrown up his last meal, washed his mouth out as best he could, and then stumbled back into the hall, following some instinctual tug, almost, and curled up on a chair there, hoping his stomach would stop churning, and hoping that Charlie would… well, still be Charlie.  
“I…” he started, wetting his dry lips as he sought for something to say. “I thought many things could not happen, but they did.” His father, kicking him out; Charlie, shooting April; Charlie, committing genocide, twice over. He was afraid of the world, afraid of what his boyfriend could become, afraid of losing him. He’d seen the fury in his eyes as he threatened Corakinus.  
“Charlie- I am afraid,” he admitted, looking up from his hunched position, meeting Charlie’s eyes. “But my promises stand. I love you today, and I will make that promise again tomorrow. And I will find you if you are lost.” He stood shakily, taking baby steps towards his boyfriend. He reached out instinctually but hesitated halfway, hands hovering in mid-air.  
“Charlie?” his tone almost sought permission, his fear swelling above all else. What if Charlie had changed so much that he didn’t love him? That in his hatred for the Shadow Kin, and in his grief for April and Rhodia, he had lost, or worse, forsaken, his love for Matteusz? His eyes desperately sought an emotion in Charlie’s face he recognised. _Please_.

"I think I've been lost for too long for anyone to help me." Charlie felt his eyes prickle with tears again and stepped closer, letting Matteusz wrap his arms around him while he clutched onto his boyfriend’s shirt.   
"But you are still you." Matteusz tightened his grip around Charlie. Maybe he felt the urge to be close too. "You are still my Charlie. I was afraid-"  
"I know." Charlie cut him off. "That you are afraid of me. That I have become what you would hate."  
"No."  
Charlie was taken back by his boyfriend’s stubborn tone. Matteusz was fighting for him, not pushing him away.  
"No. I was afraid that you would get yourself lost like this. That you would be lost where no one, not even me, could follow, even though I’d try. But you are not lost beyond my reach."  
"I killed people. I destroyed souls of innocent Rhodians. I lost control when I was using the Cabinet." Charlie held onto Matteusz’ hoodie tighter. He was afraid too, afraid that by letting go of each other they'd drift further away than before. 

"I thought it was killing you." Matteusz said, leaning closer to his boyfriend to whisper it to him.  
"I thought it was killing me too."  
It still felt like that, like part of his soul had been used to burn the planet along with the souls of his people. Charlie had wanted to bring them back. Instead they were lost, used up. The Cabinet of Souls was empty now, just like Charlie felt. Part of him dreaded dying because now he would be alone. The last Rhodian alive, and, one day, the final soul in the Cabinet. 

Matteusz pulled away gently, moving his hand to hold Charlie's. "I do not want you to die. You are all I have."  
Charlie couldn't bring himself to meet his boyfriend’s kind eyes.  "And you are all I have." Charlie blinked away the threat of any more tears. "So where does that leave us?" 

Matteusz ducked his head slightly to try to meet Charlie’s eyes, and raised one hand to cup his boyfriend’s cheek and tilt his chin up so they were face to face. He leaned in and brushed a kiss to Charlie’s lips, gentle and barely there, but still a kiss that the Rhodian felt.  
“It leaves you,” he murmured, and leaned in to kiss him again, briefly and chastely like before. “And me,” again, smiling slightly as their lips connected. “And our love.” He leaned his forehead against Charlie’s, nudging their noses together and smiling softly as he squeezed his hand. “I love you,” he whispered, looking deep into Charlie’s eyes, his fear fading rapidly at finding what he sought there.  
“And I love you,” came Charlie’s reply, just as soft as Matteusz’ declaration. Matteusz just smiled at him, curling his arms around his boyfriend and holding him close, letting a wave of calm and serenity wash over them as he held him, thumbs rubbing tiny soothing circles on Charlie’s back. He wasn’t sure how long they stood there, swaying slightly, arms wrapped around each other, but it didn’t matter. For Charlie, he had all the time in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave a prompt in the comments/send it to my tumblr - feathertailsilverstripe.tumblr.com


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